<b>Chapter </b><b>101 </b>So <b>disoriented </b>
Renee was too upied by thoughts about Vivian and Marcelo and she became so disoriented.
“Be careful, Miss Hudson.”
“Ah!”
Renee stumbled but was steadied by a swift hand.
“Can’t you watch where you’re going?” The man’s voice carried a hint of irritation.
“Damian?” Recognizing him, Renee regained herposure. “Thank you. What brings you here?”
“Iposed the music for today’s ceremony, so naturally, they invited me,” He exined, slipping his hand back into his pocket. “I know you’re not fond of me. It wasn’t my intention <b>to </b>cross paths with you.”
Renee, feeling misunderstood, replied, “I don’t hold any dislike for you. Weren’t you always the one who had issues with me?”
“What? I didn’t..I don’t!“Damian stuttered.
Renee began to list past grievances. “In kindergarten, you pulled my hair. In elementary, you stole my eraser. In middle school, you teased me for being a nerd. In high school, you’d turn away whenever you saw me, it was either that or you made fun of me and bullied me countlessly.”
Her expression seemed to ask, “Need I say more?”
Embarrassed, Damian avoided her gaze.
He wondered why these actions now seemed so foolish.
After a pause, he ventured, “If you don’t hate me, then why don’t you wear the hairpin I gave you? Don’t you like it? If not, feel free to discard it.”
“The hairpin’s at home. It’s not that I don’t want it,” Renee exined patiently.
“Oh.”
The awkwardness was palpable, and though Renee wanted tough, the name she’d overheard weighed on her mind, dampening her mood.
“Damian, may I ask you something?” Without waiting for his response, she continued, “Do you know Vivian Lambert?”
“Vivian Lambert? How do you know her? She’s a jewelry designer who’s been abroad for years. There’s been no talk of her here.“Damian moved them aside to avoid obstructing others.
“She…does she know Marcelo?“Renee’s heart raced with the question.
“The Lamberts and Marcelo’s mother’s families are old friends. Vivian and Marcelo grew up together “Damian shared. Then,changing the subject, he asked, “Will you be returning with meter?”
Renee shook her head. “I’ve already booked my flight.”
She wasn’t sure she could handle hispany on the journey home, preferring solitude. “Renee, are you still with Marcelo?“Damian broached the question he had been holding back.
Ignoring his inquiry, Renee forced a smile. “Thank you for the information. I’ll definitely be at your mother’s birthday in two days. See you back home.”
Chapter 101 So disoriented<
The irony wasn’t <b>lost </b>on Renee.
<b>Moments </b>ago<b>, </b>she had dered her rtionship status on stage, only to be bombarded with rumors about <b>Marcelo </b>and another woman as soon as she stepped off.
Her emotions were a whirlwind; her heart felt heavy.
During the trip back home, Renee struggled to push away thoughts of Marcelo’s alleged <b>affair </b>with Vivian.
Being Marcelo’s wife, she tried to reason that jealousy was pointless, especially since she had always known about Marcelo’s intentions towards her.
Just a secret wife to satisfy his needs.
Yet, the media’s portrayal of Marcelo’s involvement in Vivian’s exhibition, hinting at a romantic connection, was something Renee couldn’t ignore.
Returning to Marcelo’s house, Renee found the names Marcelo and Vivian incessantly haunting her thoughts. Her intuition whispered that this Vivian was properly always with him anytime he went abroad.
Lacking concrete proof, she couldn’t shake off the suspicion that the phone call she made before her award eptance was possibly answered by Vivian.
Seated on the sofa, her reverie was interrupted by Marcelo’s iing call.
“Hello,” she answered, her voice low and sad.
“What’s the matter?” Marcelo’s voice carried a note of concern.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Renee replied, clutching a pillow. She could imagine the distress evident on her face.
“Are you upset?” His intuition picked up on her emotional state.
His simple inquiry somehow released the pent–up frustration in her heart, bringing her to the brink of tears.
“No,” she responded, feigning nonchnce. “What is it?”
“I’ll be at the airport by three in the afternoon. Come pick me up, and we’ll head to Damian’s mother’s birthday together.”
“Okay,” she replied quickly, eager to end the call and hide her emotions. “I have to go. There’s work waiting.”
After the call, Marcelo beckoned Luke. “Check what’s been troubling my wifetely.<b>” </b>
Luke, puzzled, asked, “Regarding what specifically?”
“She’s clearly not herself.”
Luke was momentarily speechless, pondering the concern Marcelo showed for Renee’s mood.
He thought that Marcelo was always paying too much attention on her. Was it possible that he ha
allen in love?
Efficiently carrying out Marcelo’s order, Luke soon reported to him, “Mrs. King had recently filled <b>in </b>as a dancer for a crew. Catherine had someone upload a video of Mrs. King dancing, but she manipted it to not show Mrs. King’s face, insinuating it was her performance.”
Luke doubted Renee would be upset over such a trivial matter, but he couldn’t think of any other exnation.
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Chapter 101 So disorientert
+25 <b>BONUS </b>
Meanwhile, Renee,unable to contain her curiosity, began searching online for information about Vivian.
The domesticwork yielded no results.
Turning to international sites, she discovered more.
Vivian was the Lambert family’s most esteemed young woman, known for her talent and beauty, and celebrated as a promising jewelry designer.
Though Renee found no photos of Vivian, the public disys of her work spoke volumes about her skill and creativity.
The most recent news linked Vivian with the KM Group’s CEO, fueling rumors of an impending marriage.
This left Renee even more devastated.
At the airport, Renee immediately spotted Marcelo emerging from the crowd in a wheelchair.
The pair’s striking good looks drew attention as soon as they were together.
Marcelo handed Renee a finely crafted paper bag, uttering, “This is your gift.”
Distracted by the rumors surrounding Marcelo and Vivian for the past two days, Renee nearly forgot about requesting a gift from Marcelo.
She opened the bag and revealed two boxes of high–quality, aromatic maple tea.
Although she had hoped for a handmade mask from Marcelo himself, she understood that he probably did not have time to make the mask and appreciated the thoughtful gesture of the maple tea.
“Thank you,” she expressed, suppressing any disappointment.
An urge to inquire about his rtionship with Vivian lingered, but she ultimately refrained. It wasn’t a good idea to bring it up now.
After all, Damian had mentioned that Vivian’s and Marcelo’s families were long–time family friends, and they had known each other since childhood.
Marcelo and Renee were on their way to the styling studio and then to Miranda’s birthday party.
“The problem has been solved. You’re still not happy?” Marcelo asked Renee, stroking her hair, tenderly.
Perplexed, Renee questioned, “What problem?”
Luke, seated in the passenger seat, rified,
“It’s about Catherine pretending to be the dancer’s understudy instead of you.”
Renee quickly checked her phone and found the first hot search. “Catherine pretended to be a dancer’s understudy.
11
Delving into the details, she soon grasped the situation.
Initially, a video surfaced on T*****r featuring Renee dancing as an understudy, with her face cleverly concealed throughout. The apanying text read, “Thank you to Miss Hudson from the crew for being a stand–in for the dancer. It’s so beautiful.”
In response, Catherine’s team gave a thumbs up as a gesture of approval. Netizens, naturally assuming Miss
Chapter 101 So disorientad
Hudson was Catherine, began toud Catherine, and her fans took the opportunity to boast about her.
Although Renee learned about this development yesterday, she didn’t take it seriously. ssical dance demanded years <b>of </b>practice and talent.
Catherine’s attempt to pose as the dancer’s understudy seemed foolish<b>, </b>as any future program requiring Catherine to perform ssical dance would expose her.
However, a few hours ago, a marketing ount posted a video revealing Renee’s face, definitively proving that Catherine was not the dancer’s understudy.
In mere minutes, Nora, part of Peerless Grace’s crew, posted, “Peerless Grace’s crew is really good at discovering talents. Thank you to this super beautiful stylist for being my understudy.”
The use of the word “stylist” confirmed that Catherine was indeed the one pretending to be the dancer’s understudy, intensifying the entire situation.